Icy Nights: Mated to The Three Alphas

and the cold hits her fa

oesn't look up from his phone. "W

, the wheels banging on each one, and nearly eats it at the bottom. Doesn't. But close. The wind slices straight through her hoodie

cou

sh every few feet. Someone has taped a tiny plastic snowman to the vending machine outsid

and some kind of floral spray that's trying

nother girl sits cross-legged on her bed, lining up little bot

earbuds and grins. "Thank god. We were legit worried we

up. "Top bunk or bottom? I alread

Less chance I'll

a lot? Fall

mean. N

ts. It's al

ight pink comforter that looks aggressively comforta

Canisius

at, like, super sma

bunk. The frame creaks. "They offered

es dramatically at the window, where snow is starting to

Not r

and gold jerseys. "That's the Golden Wolves. And that one in the middle? Martins Heller. Captain. C

a piece of work

her stomach. "Anyway, Martins is off-limits unless you want Lila to des

e for boys,"

ds. Come on, I'm starving. Let's hit the di

, warm under the surface like a low fever. Probably just the temperature change. Probab

sh past in puffy coats, breath fogging, boots crunching. Some guy on a skateboard nearly clips her shoulder and doesn't ev

asks. She's pulled her hood u

d. Maybe

She's brutal. Don't take her unless

ep that

ll of old grease and cleaner and something sweet from the dessert station. Jessie grabs a tray and loads it

" Tinsley eyes her tray,

hun

spe

Golden Wolves. Dead center of the room, like they own it. Wh

here

for the year. One of his cuffs is unbuttoned, she notices, like he's been messing wit

ispers. "Look at his jawl

a guy," J

ke he was carved by

okes on h

d flutter, and her face feels too warm all of a sudden.

r sticks h

isle, he yells something to his buddy, laughing, and Jessie's boo

, s

s. The tr

ce and all of it, the whole hot mess,

et. The kind of quiet where p

drips off the edge of the table. Plop. Plop. The coffee has s

sley says, somew

ust," Broo

" someone el

doesn't even look at the stain. He loo

oice is low. Not yelling. Worse.

h opens. Noth

t," one of the

see tha

vik. Wide as a doorframe, gray sweats, a scowl that looks

is eight hundred dollars. You're on scholarship, so

Jessie manages. Her voice sou

at Saturday's game. Marlon Gibbs will

y, suffocating wolf costume that

Tinsley says. "I

nces. You're her friend?

y. She grabs a handful of brown napkins from the dis

didn't see his foot. I c

g me." His vo

rickly, and leaning close to him makes it worse. His colog

bs her

aid

e way around, skin hot against hers, an

left. His jaw is locked tight and something in his exp

he starts.

urned him. Presses his palm flat against his chest,

man?" som

aring at her throat

expression. Lila Beaumont. She looks at the stain, then at

," Mart

oice

. She can hear her own pulse in her ears. And somewhere deep in her

Just once. Like he's tryi

in his lungs. Sweet. Diff